PORT EXPANSION: WORTH THE COST?

PORT EXPANSION: WORTH THE COST?

More port expansion stuff to report on, one my favorite subjects these days. This one is from the Sun Sentinel, and I give them a lot of credit. They had just written a very pro port expansion article recently and now are publishing this one which questions the economic returns that the expansion would bring. That is fair journalism and should be applauded. That being said, the article is much more pro expansion than against. The story is this: all ports in Florida and on the East Coast are rushing to dredge and expand their ports in anticipation of the widening of the Panama Canal which is expected to allow larger ships into the area. That is expected to create jobs, lots of jobs, and economic benefits from the increased trade. But there are economists who question whether the cost will outweigh the benefits, but they seem to be in the minority. Their argument that goods can be moved faster by truck or rail will not be viable once the rail links are added to the Port of Palm Beach and Port Everglades. It is true I am sure that not every port will be happy with amount of trade they get from their expansion, but how can you not take the chance? Even if things do not work out perfectly for port expansion in the long run, at least the aspect of job creation is without doubt. How about these numbers for Port Everglades alone: 2,200 construction jobs, 1,500 permanent jobs and 2,700 spinoff jobs. Florida has 15 seaports. At the end of the day, the prospect of jobs and increased revenue from expanded trade will outweigh any concerns for the environment or otherwise. Remember when this was happening with drilling for oil? Environmentalists fought this and kept the oil companies at bay for the most part. Then very quietly it started happening and no one really protested too loudly because they want lower gas prices. Whether you like it or not this is progress and it cannot be stopped so let's hope it works out well for everyone. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.